Notes
It isn’t rude to ask a friend what they earn
The salary taboo protects employers more than friendships. When asking is fine, when it is rude, how to ask, and how to decline gracefully.
The archive
Journal
109 pieces on clothes, rooms, books, food and the ordinary business of taking up space.
Style
How to wash a cashmere sweater without ruining it
Most cashmere can be washed at home, carefully. What the label means, how to hand wash and dry it flat, when a machine is safe, and how to store it.
Books
Is it wrong to read the ending of a book first?
Reading the last page first isn't a crime, but it does trade away something a book can only give once. Who does it, what…
Style
Can you wear black to a wedding?
Usually, yes, but not at every wedding. Dress codes, daytime and evening, cultural traditions, how to make black festive, and the colours to avoid.
Relationships
Voice notes are not rude, but some people use them rudely
A voice note is rude when it saves the sender time and costs the listener more. When to send one, when to type, and…
Home
How to get rid of a musty smell in a room
A musty room is a moisture problem disguised as a smell. Find the source, dry the room out, deal with fabrics, and know when…
Confidence
Why you hate the sound of your own voice
The recording isn't wrong. It's closer to the voice everyone else hears. Bone conduction, familiarity, and how to get used to the sound of…
Plus-Size Living
Why are plus-size clothes more expensive?
Some of the difference is real cost, some is how the industry chooses to make and sell larger sizes. How to tell which is…
Beauty
Why can’t you smell your own perfume?
Your perfume hasn't vanished. Your brain has stopped reporting it. How smell adaptation works, why others still notice, and how not to overspray.
Life
Why do people stand up the second the plane lands?
It rarely gets anyone off sooner. Why passengers leap up the moment the seatbelt sign goes off, when it's fine to stand, and why…
Food
Is it rude to not finish your food?
Leaving food on your plate is not an insult. What is rude at someone's home, at a restaurant and as a host, and why…
Life
Is it weird to go to the movies alone?
A cinema is the one social outing where talking to your companion is bad manners. Why going alone is the most natural way to…
Beauty
How to get foundation out of clothes
Most foundation stains come out if you act quickly and keep heat away. Fresh stains, dried stains, washed stains, collars, and what to avoid.